Take a Chance on Me
by mysticmelodies1
Summary: James and M create their own special brand of Christmas magic
1. Chapter 1

The large Christmas tree towered in the corner of the ballroom while men in suits paraded around, each trying to out macho the next. Meanwhile, the women chatted over by the dessert buffet, comparing outfits and trading bits of gossip. All too rich for their own good and none of them ever had anything interesting to say unless it involved trying to one up the next person.

M stood sullenly by the podium that had been moved to the corner of the room. She hated events like this. She took a large swig of punch (which she'd very generously spiked) and gazed out onto the sea of her colleagues swarming the room, all sickeningly cheery.

"Evening, Mrs. Grinch."

She rolled her eyes. "Bond, what do you want?"

He quietly slipped out from behind her and moved to her side, just enough to be in her line of sight without having to turn to look at him.

"I wanted to see why you were standing over here in the corner instead of out there having a good time."

"Why do you care? Shouldn't you be seducing one of the secretaries?"

He smirked. "How do know I haven't already?"

She rolled her eyes again. "Typical."

She felt his hand on her lower back and tensed. "Come on, M. Really. What's the matter? It's Christmas. Where's that holiday cheer?" He nudged her shoulder. "Hey, if I can manage a smile for a couple of hours…"

"That's because you don't have to spend that time listening to the PM drone on and on about finances. It's supposed to be a party for goodness sake. And at Christmas, no less. You'd think he could lay off for one bloody day."

She took an especially large swig of punch as another suit approached her.

"Save me," she murmured.

"Ah, M. How lovely to see you! Looking radiant as ever."

Bond stepped aside as the man immediately pulled her into an embrace that clearly wasn't expected nor welcomed. He stifled a giggle. He knew M hated hugs and false niceties.

She pulled back, taking a deep breath before forcing a smile to grace her lips. "Mr. Burns. I see you made it to the festivies this year. And I believe I spotted your wife earlier, didn't I?"

"Yes. Irene's over there somewhere. Chatting away with the girls. You know how it is."

M simply nodded. "Indeed. It is nice to see everyone together." Her eyes darted over the man's shoulder. "Oh. I am sorry to have to leave you, but it appears I'm needed elsewhere." She smiled and echoed his words. "You know how it is. Excuse me."

She swept around him and moved swiftly through the crowd of people before he even had a chance to respond.

Being fairly demure in stature she was able to lose him amongst the other guests before making her way to the opposite side of the room, where Bond had migrated to wait for her.

"Thank you."

He chuckled lightly. "Don't mention it."

She choked down the rest of her drink and made her way back to the table for more.

"With respect, ma'am, shouldn't you slow those down a bit?"

She filled her glass generously, discretely pulling the flask from her purse and tipping some brandy in before putting it back with a masterful slight of hand.

"Nonsense. I plan to be as drunk as possible before they start-"

She was cut off by a voice over the microphone from the bandstand.

"Pardon me, everyone. I've been asked to direct all Six employees to the Churchill meeting room for the annual gift exchange."

M groaned. "Oh, bloody hell. Here it comes."

"C'mon. It'll be fun. Besides, I'm quite looking forward to your reaction to my gift."

"It's meant to be a secret, Bond. You aren't supposed to tell the person you bought for."

"Oh I wasn't assigned you."

She frowned. "Then why-"

"Because I wanted to do something special for you, damnit. Is that so wrong?"

"Yes." She lowered her voice. "We've discussed this."

"Mallory's on your arse, I know. But you work damn hard for this department and you deserve a little something every once in a while."

She snorted. "In case it slipped your memory, you already give me a little something every once in a while."

Bond pursed his lips and glared at her. "Very funny. I mean apart from that."

"Alright, fine. But it better be good…Mr. Bond," she smirked and made her way to the meeting room with the others.

He followed her out, a smirk playing across his own lips. "Oh, believe me. It will be."

She stared down at the box for just a moment longer, two teardrop diamond earrings twinkled up at her. She sighed and closed the lid before placing the box in her purse.

"Some gift, ma'am." Eve nudged M's arm with a smile. "A secret admirer, perhaps?"

M snorted. "That would make the headlines." "Don't. You're the most powerful woman in Britain, and, if I may, you're still quite a catch. I'm sure there are plenty of suits here who'd love to have you on their arm."

She chuckled. "I'm not so sure about that, but you're kind to say so."

"I'm only telling the truth, ma'am."

M smiled. "It's a party, Eve. You don't have to call me ma'am. Not this evening."

"Sorry, ma- …M."

M chuckled. "Better. And since we're on the subject of secret admirers… have you spoken to Bill yet?"

Eve looked thoroughly confused. "Sorry?"

"You can't honestly tell me you haven't noticed." Eve's expression didn't change. M rolled her eyes. "Mr. Tanner does not frequent my office for the sparkling conversation."

"But he's never…" she glanced over her shoulder. Bill was busy talking to James about something or other. Eve hurriedly turned around to look at M.

"Well he's not going to walk about with mistletoe hovering above his head, is he? Some men need a push to say what they really feel. And apparently, some women do, too." She gave Eve a small nudge in Tanner's direction.

"Ma-" she cleared her throat. "M... Isn't this against protocol?"

"Bugger protocol. It's Christmas." She sipped her drink. "Besides, if I have to sit and watch Tanner fawn over you for one more day, I'll scream."

Eve looked at her boss, shocked that she was actually encouraging this type of sentimentality, especially given the hard time she was getting from Mallory. She wondered just how much champagne the older woman had that evening.

"I trust you two can keep your personal lives separate from the office."

"Yes, ma'am. Of course. But…"

M let slide her slip in formality. "Well then. Go on!"

She bit her lip to stife her giggle as Eve stumbled away from her and nervously cut into the conversation with Bill and James.

She then watched James excuse himself to make his way back over to her.

"So do you think those two will finally get it together?" he whispered.

She smiled. "One can but hope."

"Took them long enough."

"To be fair, we didn't exactly get off the smoothest start."

He raised an eyebrow. "And whose fault was that?"

"Yes, but that was different and you know it."

"I know. I know. I just hate that he's constantly hounding you as if you haven't got enough shit to deal with trying to keep the bloody country safe."

"Well, he does have a point." James raised his eyebrow again. "It is unprofessional. But as I always say, so is regret. I'm not getting any younger. I don't have the luxury of putting things off and waiting for the 'right time'. If this job has taught me anything, it's that tomorrow isn't guaranteed. You don't necessarily plan for things like this. But you have to take what you can get while you've got it."

James gave a half smile. "I just wish we didn't have to hide it."

Her eyes fell on his face with a look of disbelief. "What?"

"I mean it. I hate having to sneak around. I hate that I can't take you in my arms and kiss you whenever I want. I hate having to hide what we have."

She gulped. "And what exactly might that be?"

"Come on, M. I think we both know this goes beyond casual fucking. I don't know when or how or even… hell, I'm not even sure what to call it, but we've got something between us. Something that's not gonna go away overnight, no matter what Mallory says or thinks."

She took another sip of her drink, trying to look anywhere but at him.

"Personally, I'm all for giving us a shot. I mean, you said yourself. You have to take what you can get while you've got it. Right now we've got each other. We make each other happy. We both know what the job involves and we know how to bend the rules to get around it."

She cut him a look and he held his hands up.

"Alright. So some of us bend the rules a little bit more than others." She snorted. "My point is, we've got a good thing going. We don't have to put any labels on it, we can just let it be whatever it is. We've made it this far. I think we should see where it takes us."

She sighed. "I don't know, James. We both know things run a lot more smoothly when emotions are left out of it."

"I think it's a little late for that." She looked up at him. "We wouldn't be risking all this if it were only about sex."

She sighed again. "True."

She mulled it over in her head for a few more seconds before meeting his eyes.

"We have to be very careful. And nothing changes in the office. I'm still your boss."

He tried and failed to hide the grin spreading across his face. "Of course."

"And James."

"Yeah?"

"If you hurt me, I will not hesitate to end you. Am I clear?"

He looked taken aback for a second. His reputation was no secret, certainly, but she had to know by now that he could never hurt her, of all people. Or maybe that's what frightened her. She didn't know that. Not for sure. He decided then and there that he would do everything in his power to make her see. He had to let her know that he was worth the chance- that their relationship was worth the chance. He'd prove it to her somehow.

"Am I clear, Bond? "

He gave a short nod. "Crystal."

"You two look very serious over here." Eve made her way back over. "What's he done now?"

Bond gave her a lopsided grin, "What makes you think I did something?"

Eve pursed her lips. "Because she only gets that look in her eye when you've screwed up."

"Well, madam, I will have you know that I am perfectly innocent… in this case."

"We've just had a small discussion about valuable assets and wasted time."

Eve nodded. "I see. Well, I hope James here has learned his lesson. In the meantime, we're moving back into the main room, if you two want to come, or… if you've not quite finished…"

"We'll be there in a few moments." M smiled. "Now, go… mingle."

"Yes, ma'am." Eve paused. "Oh… by the way. You should probably know that you're..."

"Yes?"

"You two are sort of… erm..." Eve pointed at the ceiling above their heads.

They both looked up at the same time to see a small sprig of green dangling from the ceiling.

Bond smiled. "So?"

"So what ?"

"It is tradition."

M scoffed.

Before she had a chance to come back with a witty retort…

Her eyes went wide as she felt Bond's lips on her cheek. It didn't go unnoticed that he lingered for just a split second longer than necessary.

He pulled back, smirking. "It would be a shame to break tradition… ma'am."

Eve put a hand to her mouth, coughing lightly in a failed attempt to disguise her giggle.

"Does that count, or shall I try again?" Bond looked at Eve.

M cut him a look and Eve nodded quickly, knowing a peck on the cheek was as good as she was going to get. Though considering the people involved, it was downright scandalous in her book.

"Definitely counts." Eve gave a slight bow of her head. "Ma'am. Bond."

"Go. Mingle. Keep Tanner away from the champagne."

The young woman blushes slightly. "Yes, ma'am," she murmured. "You're welcome to rejoin us in the ballroom if you'd like. I think the band is about to start playing again." She ran off to the main ballroom again while M and Bond lingered behind.

"It appears we've been summoned."

M checked her handbag once more to make sure she'd gotten everything with her name on it.

There were a couple of things she didn't particularly care for, but she figured she'd keep them and think on it and if she really didn't have any use for them, she could always re-gift.

"Wait. This gift of yours. Where is it?"

"Eager are we?" he smirked.

"Well now you've built it up, I can only wonder what it could possibly be that's so special you went out of your way to get it."

"I don't mind going out of the way for you. You know that."

She looked up at him and saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes. If this was his attempt at getting their relationship going, he was making a good start.

"Yes. I know."

"Good. And as for your gift, you'll have it before you know it." M raised an eyebrow at this, her curiosity peaked even more. Bond chuckled. "Come on."

He put a hand on her back and led her out of the small room and back into the loud, music filled ballroom.


	2. Chapter 2

M grimaced slightly as the band played a festive tune. The gaudy red and green tinsel adorning their music stands shined in the light. As if they the music itself wasn't loud enough…

"I'm just going to go grab a drink. I'll be back." James gave her back a small pat and made his way through the crowd.

M tried to find another place to stand, as she saw her previous corner had been newly occupied by a couple who'd gotten a little too merry. She would have marched over and made a comment about professionalism, but she figured it was Christmas time, they were allowed a bit of fun. As long as they kept it at snogging, they were alright. Hopefully they were sober enough to have the presence of mind to go back to their respective hotel rooms before they got onto that special holiday treat.

M put a hand out and braced herself against the wall.

She pulled a face. The music was so loud, she could clearly feel the vibrations from the sound system.

Except…

She glanced over her shoulder.

She was nowhere near the speakers.

She carefully zoned in on the feeling of the wall beneath her fingertips.

Nothing.

"What in hell…?"

She slowly realized that it wasn't the room that was vibrating. It was her.

Or more specifically, her knickers.

The band struck up an even livelier number and she had to bite her lip to stop herself crying out.

The vibrations were fluctuating depending on the volume and tempo of the music, getting more intense during the upbeat numbers and easing off a bit during the quieter interludes. But how the hell...

Of course.

Bond.

She could feel his eyes on her. She scanned the buffet, and when her eyes finally landed on him, he was leaning on the dessert table, staring back at her, chuckling as he sipped his drink.

She glared at him, trying to get him to call off whatever it was. She saw him slip a hand into his pocket.

"God!" she gasped, her knees nearly buckling as the vibrations increased again.

Great. Not only was the device dependent upon the music but Bond could also control it via remote.

Just what she needed.

He sauntered over to her, still nonchalantly sipping his champagne as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

She tried her best to remember her training. She stood as straight as she could manage and concentrated on controlling her breathing.

"Enjoying your gift?" he smirked.

"What the hell is this?"

He snorted. "I think you already know the answer to that."

"How-?"

"I convinced Q to do me a favor." He casually leaned against the wall, stifling his giggle as the band began to play another upbeat holiday tune.

She gasped and clutched at his arm before remembering herself.

"Christ! James!"

He chuckled. "Relax. They haven't started the swing music yet." He sipped his champagne and she groaned.

"James…" she warned.

"Ma'am are you alright?"

Eve came up behind her, placing a hand on her back.

"Fine. Just a cramp."

"Maybe you should sit-"

"No. No. I'll be alright. In fact, I think I should call it an evening."

The younger woman looked on with concern. "If you're sure…"

"I am." She gave Eve's arm a small pat and smiled. "You all have a drink for me. And don't keep Bill out too late." She smirked at Eve, who began to blush. "Bond. Call my car."

"Ma'am." He walked off toward the door.

"Ah!" M clutched at Eve's arm again.

She growled low in her throat. Bastard.

"Are you sure you'll be alright, ma'am?"

"Yes. Nothing a nice soak won't cure. Now go. He's probably wondering where you've run off to."

Eve smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

She gave M's arm a gentle squeeze then went off to find Bill again.

After a few more seconds, Bond walked back over to her.

"Ready to go?" he smiled.

She glared up at him. "Now."

He walked her to the door, disassembling his Walther in his head so he wouldn't giggle. M allowed herself to take his arm, only because her knees were so shaky now, she didn't know if she could walk on her own.

Eve caught up with Bond by the door.

"Is she gonna be alright?"

"I think so. I'll see her to the car, just in case."

"Right. Tell her I'll check in on her tomorrow."

"Right." He smiled. "Now get back to your date."

Eve rolled her eyes, smiling and skipped off to where Bill was standing.

"Is the boss gonna be alright?" he asked, seeing the way M seemed to have trouble walking.

"Yeah. I think so. James is gonna walk her to the car. I told her I'd check in on her tomorrow."

"Good." He grabbed her and twirled her around, making her giggle. "Now… I believe I owe you a dance…"


	3. Chapter 3

M stumbled through the door of her flat, knees shaking and a thin sheen of sweat covering her forehead.

Bond had been tormenting her with the vibrations all the way home. In fact, she climaxed once in the car and she had to bite down on her fist to muffle her cry so she wouldn't alarm the driver.

Mercifully, he'd turned it off about a block away from her flat so her knees wouldn't shake too terribly when she got out of the car.

She panted lightly, setting her keys on the table and flicking the light on.

"What-?"

She turned to see a sizeable Christmas tree in the middle of her sitting room, fully decorated with twinkling lights. Presents wrapped in shiny paper were tucked underneath, and as she walked closer she realized they all had her name on. There were poinsettias everywhere and holly draped over the mantel.

She bit her lip. There was even a small plate of mince pies set out by the fireplace, with a small tag off to the side. She picked it up and held it a bit closer to the floor lamp so she could read it.

_'__For: Father Christmas (if he can get past security)__'_

She chuckled.

"Merry Christmas, M."

She turned around to see Bond standing with his hands in his pockets.

He followed her eyes and chuckled, turning his pockets out to show her he wasn't holding the remote anymore. "It's okay."

"What's all this?"

"I know you normally spend this night alone in the office, and I know you said you didn't want a fuss, but I thought it was high time you had a proper Christmas."

"You didn't have to do-"

"I know that. I wanted to." He stepped closer to her. "I meant what I said earlier. There's something good between us. Something special. And I know we have to hide it at the office, but right now, I just want us to forget all that and have a nice holiday. Together."

M looked up at him for a second. "You torture me with rigged knickers and now you want to have a nice quiet holiday at home," she smirked.

He chuckled. "That bit was just fun for me. This part is for you."

He ducked his head to kiss her softly, pulling her closer to his body. She wrapped her arms around him and moaned against his lips, feeling slightly lightheaded at the sensation.

She could tell this kiss wasn't like the others. It was different somehow.

More real. More feeling.

He pulled away from her smiling. "So? What do you think?"

"I think…" she looked into his eyes. "I think this is the best Christmas present I've ever had."

He smiled. "And you haven't even seen the stuff in the boxes yet."

She chuckled. "I meant you."

His face softened. "Really?"

She nodded. "Even though you torment me…" she smirked. She leaned up to kiss him again.

"Actually I was thinking in the car. Well… as much as I could think amongst certain

distractions..." She lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow and he chuckled. "I do want us to try. I think… I'd like to try having a real relationship."

He smiled and hugged her. "Thank you. I promise. You won't be sorry."

She chuckled. "Oh, I know. You forget I have the power to make a man disappear." She smirked and kissed his nose. "Now… about those presents…"

Bond rolled off her with a satisfied moan, collapsing onto the pillows behind him.

"Can you still land a spot on the naughty list if you're an adult?" he asked, still panting slightly from the exertion.

"Couldn't make it fifteen minutes," she ran a hand over her face. "I have a feeling that particular present was more for you than it was for me," M giggled.

She'd heard of several variations of cock rings before, but she'd never actually had one vibrate.

She idly wondered if he'd gotten that idea from Q as well or if he came up with it all on his own.

Whichever it was, she was thankful for the gift.

"James…"

"Hm?"

"When you asked Q to help you design those…" she nodded toward the discarded lace knickers that had been strewn across the little chair in front of her vanity. "…you didn't tell him they were for me, did you?"

"No. Of course not. I just mentioned they were for a special friend."

She hummed her acknowledgement.

He turned to look at her. "You didn't think I'd really tell him, did you?"

"No, but he's an intelligent young man. He might have figured it out. I didn't know whether or not you confirmed it, is all."

"I doubt it. Given our reputations around the office, I don't think anyone suspects any type of romance out of the two of us, especially toward each other."

She snorted. "I suppose we have worked rather hard at keeping people at bay."

"Besides, even if he did suspect anything, I wouldn't have said. It's not my place to say and it's definitely not the right time."

M nodded and snuggled up to him. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For not trusting you. I know you wouldn't really have told him."

"It's alright. It's gonna take some time. For both of us. We'll get there." He kissed the top of her head.

She lifted her knee to drape it across his thigh but with her legs being shorter, she mistakenly brushed his groin instead.

He gave a low growl. "You did that on purpose."

"Did not," she smirked.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't. I promise. I was trying to cuddle," she kissed his jawline. "But…" she moved her leg again and was met with growing hardness. "It doesn't seem as though you have any objection."

She nibbled at his jaw and he groaned, his hips twitching as her leg brushed him again in what he was sure was an intentional caress.

He rolled on top of her, pressing her into the mattress as she giggled and squirmed beneath him.

"This is violently unfair you know," he murmured into her neck, trailing kisses across her collarbone.

"Mm? How so?"

"I can't think straight around you." He rolled his hips against her thigh, suckling on her pulse point.

She moaned. "It's a good thing this doesn't require much thought then."

He chuckled. "It's a good thing I love you."

They both froze.

He lifted his head.

She pulled back to look into his eyes.

"What did you say?"


	4. Chapter 4

"What did you say? "

"I…" he stammered, at a loss for words. "It just… came out, I didn't intend-"

"Did you mean it?"

"What?"

"Were you being honest, or were you only saying it?" she asked.

"No. I..." He looked into her eyes. "I did. I meant it. That wasn't how I intended to say it, but..."

He looked down out of embarassment. She could tell he was shocked at his own admission, possibly even more than she was. She wondered how long it had been since he dared utter those words to someone. She reached up and stroked his hair. She knew deep down that those simple words held a lot of weight for him. If he said it, intentionally or not, he meant it.

She brought her hand down to caress his cheek and sighed. "Dear boy…"

"It's… you don't have to say it back or anything. I… I didn't intend to say it out loud, it just-"

She lifted his chin and pulled him down into a deep kiss, effectively cutting off his apologetic rambling.

She pulled back just enough to whisper against his lips, "I love you, too."

He smiled. "I love you," he said it slowly as if savoring the taste of the words on his lips.

"I know," she giggled softly at his boyish grin. "Now show me," she whispered.

"Make love to me."

"Really?"

She nodded. "If you mean it, show me."

He leaned down to kiss her, taking his time and kissing her in every favorite place he could think of. His lips moved skillfully across her skin, his tongue darting out in the areas he knew would get her to make _that_noise.

She was in heaven. He'd always been an amazing lover, well deserving of his reputation, but he'd never been this attentive before. He lips and hands caressed her in all the right places. She felt a warmth spread over her entire body unlike anything she'd ever felt before. He meant it this time.

His hands slipped down her side and she arched into his touch, trying to guide his hand with her body and get him to touch her where she wanted it. But his fingers continued their quest down, over her hip to the back of her knee, raising it just slightly. He took an extended detour at her breasts (he always loved the fullness of them) before kissing his way down her body.

"Oh god… James…" she breathed.

He was taking his time with everything this evening. All she could think of at that moment in time was him. The feeling of his hands on her… in her. Tender kisses and swirls of his tongue. His fingers thrusting at a steady pace, curling to hit that special place within her that never failed to make her toes curl. Her head tossed on the pillow, her body flushed and tingling with sensations stronger than what she was used to. She felt like she would explode and yet she wanted more.

She tried to say something, to tell him how good he felt. But she couldn't speak. The words died in her throat. The only intelligible phrase she could muster was "oh god". And she could barely manage that.

He licked her softly, then with a bit more pressure, making sure his hands were never idol. Every few seconds, he'd reach up and tease her nipple as if he wanted to make sure he still had her attention. She groaned and her back arched and she grabbed the sheets in her fists as her breath caught in her throat. It was the most erotic experience she'd ever had, and no sooner did she have that thought than her climax hit her. The thousands of shards of pleasure that were coursing through her body all seemed to pool in her belly and shoot straight to her core before she even had time to process what was happening.

She let out a sharp cry and James moaned as her release flooded his tongue. He lapped at her greedily, not able to get enough of her, yet trying to be mindful of her sensitivity.

Shivers racked her body and she pulled him back up with shaky hands, kissing him deeply.

When he pulled away from the kiss, he saw a single tear fall down her cheek and he gently wiped it away with his thumb. She smiled and nuzzled into his hand, kissing his wrist.

Then, to James's surprise, she flipped them over so she straddled his waist.

She declined her head, kissing him tenderly.

He groaned, grabbing her waist and gently rolling his hips against her and her hips moved in tiny circles above him. He wasn't sure whether or not she was doing it on purpose, but it was driving him crazy.

She felt him harden beneath her and she smiled, kissing along his jawline, down to his neck, letting her teeth nip gently at his throat. His hips jerked and she gave a soft giggle. He always loved a hint of danger.

She felt his hand slide between them and she lifted herself just enough for him to push in.

They both groaned, James's hands moving to her back to hold her closer. Her head fell onto his shoulder, her breath on his neck and soft whimpers of his name floating into his ear.

He moaned, loving the feel of her on top of him… around him. He held her just a bit tighter and pumped his hips a little faster, earning a pleasured gasp from her.

He'd wanted this for so long, but he'd been too afraid to ask for it. He was terrified if he ever let her know how he really felt about her, she'd call the whole thing off and he knew he was lucky that she'd even agreed to the arrangement in the first place.

He didn't want to push it.

He was actually glad of his confession. It wasn't the way he meant to tell her, but he was glad it was out in the open. And he was indescribably happy that she felt the same way. Something he never thought would happen.

He moved a bit faster, planting his feet flat on the bed and pushing upward to match her thrusts. She rode him hard, her body trembling, her thighs tense on either side of him. He slipped his hand between them and rubbed her clit, making her cry out.

"Oh… mmm…" she whimpered into his skin. "James…"

"It's okay. I've got you," he whispered. "I won't let you go."

The layered meaning wasn't lost on her and every emotion for him that she'd pushed down over the years all came bubbling to the surface at once. It was all too much. It overwhelmed her and her orgasm rushed over her like a tidal wave.

"Oh god… JAMES!" she screamed, muffling her cries in the crook of his neck as her body shuddered almost violently.

He held her close, slowing his thrusts as the tremors subsided.

She moaned, very much aware of the fact that he was still moving inside her. She gave him a small tug and he rolled over on top of her again.

She pulled him down for a kiss, trailing kisses across his cheek and up to his ear.

She bit his earlobe gently. "Take me," she whispered.

He growled and began thrusting into her hard and fast. She gasped, holding onto his forearms tightly as he desperately chased his release.

He dropped onto his elbows, unable to hold himself upright any longer. His hips moved almost frantically as he whimpered into her hair.

"It's alright," she crooned, stroking his hair. "You can..."

He whimpered and she felt the stutter in his hips.

"Come for me ."

His body went rigid and he shouted his pleasure as he spilled himself inside her. He shuddered on top of her and she made no move to push him away. She let him ride it out for as long as he needed to, stroking his back and kissing his neck until his breathing had returned to normal.

She placed a final kiss to his temple and he rolled over, taking her with him.

They snuggled together in the aftermath of their lovemaking, both happier than they had been for some time.

James kissed her hair. "So… what do we do now?"

"Well I would suggest we open the rest of the presents, but frankly, I can't be bothered to move."

He chuckled. "I meant this… us. What happens now?"

She sighed. "We'll have to be more careful now. If we're going to bring feelings into this, we have to keep clear boundaries between our personal time and the office. I can't give you any preferential treatment."

"I know. I wouldn't ask you to." He kissed her hair. "And I'll still blow things up and annoy the hell out of you at the office. Just like old times."

She chuckled. "I wouldn't mind a little less of that, actually. But, yes, we'll keep everything as normal as we can."

"And… if I could add another suggestion?"

"Go on."

"I'd like us to keep office talk out of the bedroom. I want our time to be ours. No agents, no explosions, no paperwork. Just us."

"I'd like that," she smiled.

"Good."

They lay there in silence for a while, just enjoying being able to hold each other.

"James?" she whispered. "Could I ask you for one more favor?"

"Anything."

"What you said about keeping work seperate... I don't want to be M when I'm with you." She paused. "I need you to say my name. I need to hear it."

She felt his breath hitch and she lifted her head from his chest to look up at him.

"There's not a sniper in the closet, is there?"

She snorted, remembering her threat to have him shot if he ever said it.

"No. Of course not," she smiled. "Otherwise, I would have had to charge him for our performance."

He chuckled and reached up to run a hand through her hair. He locked eyes with her before slowly leaning in to kiss her.

He whispered against her lips, "I love you, Olivia."

She kissed him gently. "Say it again."

"I love you, Olivia," he smiled. "I love you."

She smiled.

"I love you, too." She kissed him once more.

This was what she wanted. To feel something good. To feel loved. To know that it was real.

She laid her head against his chest, letting his heartbeat lull her.

He held her tight in his arms, rubbing soothing circles on her back until she drifted off. Then he kissed her hair and switched off the bedside lamp before joining her in the best night's sleep he'd had in ages.


End file.
